The Journey

1982, Peckham, London, at the 2nd floor hall. It was assembly time. Students of the whole school sat on the floor to sing and hear the success stories of their colleagues from new inventions to painting, poem recitations, musical performances and achievements in swimming and other sports.

A random assembly day and for some reason, I started listening to the piano teacher, not to get the correct pitch for singing. I was overtaken by the sounds and vibrations. The same melodies and chord progression but all of a sudden they turned into magical emotional devices taking me from state to state, from emotion to another. Everything around me faded and only the sound of Ms. Evans playing the piano prevailed.

Several years had passed until I was able to put my hands on a keyboard. My father had bought the keyboard for me and my brothers for Eid. This was a pivotal moment in my life.

At first I was fascinated by the sounds and drum beats but I was unable to produce the magic that I had heard years ago.

I started taking lessons from a friend of the family, ms. Helen, she taught me about the notes and durations, and after a few lessons I was reading notes and actually playing.

She recommended I take lessons from a piano teacher which I did for one year with Mr.s Pound, a singer and piano teacher.

Looking back, my progress was very strong. It was the search for the magic that drove me, maybe subconsciously, but deep down I knew there was something I was looking for.

1988, Cairo, Egypt. I will call this my self-study period. During secondary school I had no formal music lessons but I was eager to study and build on what I had learned. I did get help from my school music teachers, especially Ms. Seham, who encouraged me to practice and explore Arabic and Egyptian styles of music. A question she asked during one of her lessons and still invokes conversations in my head “What is music?”

1999, My formal music studies start here.